


new and a bit alarming

by Martsa



Category: Free!
Genre: Alpha Nanase Haruka, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Jealous Yamazaki Sousuke, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Matsuoka Rin, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-29 19:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12091950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Martsa/pseuds/Martsa
Summary: Rin is an atypical Omega who wishes he wasn't an Omega and doesn't want an Alpha, period. He's convinced he's better off alone until he meets a transfer student who makes him re-evaluate everything he thought he knew about relationships and Alpha/Omega dynamics. For some reason his best friend Sousuke is less than thrilled about this turn of events.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I rewatched both seasons of Free! and instantly fell back into swimming hell, and then I read some really good omegaverse fics and wanted to write something for myself- so this happened. This is my first ever contribution to this fandom and my very first omegaverse fic, so I'm a bit nervous about publishing it but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway! The rating will go up in later chapters and I will update the tags whenever necessary.

”Oi, Matsuoka, when are you gonna finally put out? C'mon, gimme some of that sugar. I'll make it worth your while.”

”Piss off, Nakayama,” Rin snapped, shooting the Alpha an icy glare. ”Touch me and I'll break your goddamn arm and shove it down your throat. See how you like me then.”

”Calm down, sweetheart. No need to get so aggressive.”

”Go fuck yourself.”

”I'd rather fuck you.”

”Guess you're shit out of luck, then. I wouldn't fuck you even if you were the last Alpha on the fucking planet.”

”You're only saying that because you haven't been fucked by me yet, sharkboy.”

Ah, yes. There it was again, the annoying nickname that had been given to him, inspired by his sharp teeth and even sharper tongue. Rin bristled at that, hands balling into fists, trying to come up with something better than 'Go die in a fire' when he felt Nitori tugging at his sleeve.

”Rin-senpai, I think we should leave now.”

He hesitated for a moment but nodded anyway, anger bubbling in the pit of his stomach as they walked away.

Brash comments like that were an everyday occurrence by now. Being an Omega wasn't easy to begin with, but going to a school with both Omegas and Alphas made it that much more difficult. Young Alphas, fueled by testosterone and their massive egos, very rarely treated Omegas with much respect. Officially the school didn't endorse such behavior, of course, but unless it escalated to something more severe the teacher usually turned a blind eye to it.

 _They just like you,_ they would tell him. _That's what Alphas do when they like someone, you see- they tease them. Don't take it so seriously._

”Maybe you shouldn't be so rude to them,” Nitori said softly. The words made Rin see red.

”Rude?” he growled. ”Do you actually hear the shit they say to me? I'm not gonna play nice just because they're Alphas and I'm not. Fuck that. If they don't show me respect I'm sure as hell not gonna treat them with any.”

”They're only trying to compliment you, they're just... doing it the wrong way. At least you're getting attention from them, there are many who don't-”

”Shut up, Nitori. I don't want their fucking attention, I want them to leave me alone, okay? They're not _complimenting_ me, they're being fucking rude and disrespectful and treating me like a piece of meat.”

Rin entered their room after Nitori and slammed the door shut so hard that it made his water bottle topple over and fall off the desk. He immediately flopped down on his bed and sighed heavily, throwing his left arm over his eyes. It had been a long day, filled with too many alphas and their smug smiles and annoying comments, and he was running incredibly low on patience.

It had been like this from the moment he started at Samezuka.

All Omegas were objectified to some degree, sure, but some of them received more unwanted attention than others and Rin was one of those unlucky few. He stood out from the crowd because he wasn't a typical Omega, never had been- he was too tall and muscular and anything but quiet and submissive. People often mistook him for an Alpha and that pleased him.

On Rin's first day a third-year Alpha had kept trying to hit on him even after Rin told him he wasn't interested. Rejection had not been enough to stop the alpha from getting a little too touchy-feely with him, so Rin had grabbed the hand that was trying to cop a feel and twisted it. Hard.

The Alpha had ended up with a fractured wrist and a bruised ego.

Rin soon had a reputation for being rude, abrasive and easily annoyed, someone who wasn't afraid to kick anyone's ass if they put their hands on him. He never got in trouble for it, either, because Alphas were always too proud to admit that an Omega had beat them up. Most people had the good sense to leave him alone, much to his relief.

Unfortunately some Alphas saw his bad reputation as a challenge. They thought that Rin was just playing hard to get and that his openly hostile behavior was just an invitation for them to try harder. Each one of them was convinced they were the one the feisty Omega would eventually submit to, and they just loved to discuss it when Rin was within earshot.

 

” _I'm gonna turn that wildcat into a kitten, just wait.”_

” _As if. He's mine- I saw him first. He'll come around eventually.”_

” _You'll all be jealous when I claim him. Sorry, guys, but that's what's gonna happen.”_

” _The ones who put up a fight are always the best in bed once they finally give in.”_

 

They saw Rin as some kind of fetish instead of an actual person and he hated it. The qualities that had kept Alphas away from him for so long were somehow turning against him now.

His mother wasn't very pleased with Rin's attitude towards Alphas. She wanted him to calm down, find a nice Alpha and have a couple of kids one day- but, as she kept telling him, that was never going to happen unless he ”changed his attitude and stopped being so aggressive.” She made it sound like a bad thing but Rin was surprisingly okay with that prospect.

He didn't want an Alpha who refused to treat him with respect.

He didn't want an Alpha who saw him as a second class citizen because of his secondary gender.

He didn't want an Alpha who thought that Omegas were only good for pleasing Alphas.

If no one out there met that criteria, he was better off alone.

”Are you mad at me?” Nitori inquired quietly, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them. Rin groaned and raised his arm to glance at the younger Omega.

”I'm mad at the whole world. Not at you in particular. I just wish you'd stop telling me that I'm supposed to be flattered when I get attention from an Alpha who only sees me as a couple of holes to fuck.”

”I'm sure that's not what they-”

”Yes, it is,” Rin interrupted him. ”You know that just as well as I do. You know what they say about me- they want to fuck me just because they can't. They're only interested in me because I'm the one they can't have, but I'm never, ever gonna fuck any of them.”

Nitori quickly fell silent, his cheeks turning pink. Rin knew his blunt manner of speaking often made Nitori feel awkward because he was so different from Rin, so squeaky clean and proper. Quiet, kind, helpful, submissive, polite. Cute in a borderline childish manner.

Everything an ideal Omega should be. Everything Rin was not.

”I'm gonna go see my mom,” Rin muttered, sitting up and grabbing his bag. ”See ya.”

 

* * *

 

”So, have you met anyone you like?”

”No. Just a bunch of slimy assholes who try to feel me up without my permission. They know they're gonna get punched for it but that doesn't seem to stop them.”

”You should try to control yourself more.”

Rin threw his head back and sighed in frustration, rolling his eyes. ”If you knew what they say to me, you wouldn't be telling me that. It's gross and it happens all the time and I'm getting sick of it, Mom.”

”It happens to all Omegas, darling. That's just how it is. I know it's not fair, but you really shouldn't lash out like that. You can't do that in the real world, you know.”

That was easy for her to say. Rin had never been good at hiding his true emotions; he always wore his heart on his sleeve. When he wanted to laugh, he laughed; when he felt like crying, he cried; when he thought someone deserved to have their ass kicked... Well, he didn't always kick their ass but he made sure to give them a piece of his mind. It was in his nature- he had always been intense. Intense like his dad.

”What would your father say if he knew you're causing trouble at school?”

”Oh my God, Mom, not this again,” Rin groaned, getting up from the sofa to grab a drink from the fridge. ”Dad's not here anymore. You don't know what he would say.”

His parents had hoped and prayed that Rin would be an Alpha since he was their firstborn and only son. At first it seemed their wish would come too; Rin had an Alpha-like personality, right down to his explosive temper, and his build was more similar to that of an Alpha. Everyone in his family assumed he'd eventually present as Alpha.

But then he didn't.

By the time Rin presented as Omega, his father was already gone. His mother tried her best to hide her shock but Rin could tell how upset she was, and in some twisted way he was almost glad his father wasn't there to witness it. Rin missed him terribly, yes, but having to let him down like that would have crushed him.

Acting like an Alpha was his way of trying to be the son his parents had hoped for. He couldn't not be an Omega but that didn't mean he needed to present himself as one.

”Have you been spending any time with Sousuke lately?” his mother asked, trying to change the subject. ”I haven't heard you mention him once. Did something happen?”

”Not really,” Rin muttered. ”I do see him sometimes. I'm just... busy. With my studies and stuff.”

Sousuke was his childhood friend. They had been best friends since they were kids but something had changed after Rin presented as Omega. Being friends with someone of the opposite secondary gender was often a challenge, yeah, but Rin never thought their friendship would change so drastically. He never thought Sousuke would change so much.

The first change he had noticed was Sousuke suddenly being really protective over him. Rin didn't want people to treat him differently because he was an Omega, so he had found it annoying but figured it was probably pretty normal and harmless- they were best friends, protecting Rin was probably in Sousuke's nature or something.

Things had started going downhill when Sousuke's behavior went from protective to possessive. Calling Rin 'his,' getting huffy and jealous when Rin spent time with his other friends, going off at other Alphas if they looked at Rin the wrong way... Rin had found it kind of endearing the first couple of times it happened but grown tired of it pretty quickly.

The ensuing conversation had not gone well.

Sousuke had admitted that he had feelings for Rin, that he wanted to be more than just friends, and flown off the handle when Rin turned him down, saying ”How could you do this to me?” over and over again. He had made it sound like Rin owed him something, like Rin was somehow obligated to be romantically interested in him because they had been friends for so long and Sousuke had always been nice to him.

Things had been... weird after that. They still hung out occasionally but it felt different now. There was an elephant in the room that neither of them wanted to address and it made their conversations feel forced, like they were just going through the motions. Like they were just pretending to be friends in the hopes that it would fix their friendship.

”He's such a nice young boy. You should invite him over for dinner one of these days.”

”I'll think about it,” Rin muttered, even though he already knew he wasn't going to do it. His mother liked Sousuke but Rin didn't want to give her the wrong idea about his relationship with Sousuke. They were never going to be a couple.

”Your sister is going out with someone, you know.”

”Good for her.”

”I think they're pretty serious about it. They've been together for quite some time and she seems to really like him.”

”Uh-huh.”

Rin knew exactly where she was getting at.

”She's even talking about wanting to have kids one day. Even though she's obviously too young for that, I think it's good she's thinking about her future.”

”That's nice.”

”You really should think about-”

”Mom, _no_. We've talked about this,” Rin snapped, his tone a little harsher than he had intended it to be. ”If you want grandkids, you better look at Gou because you're not getting them from me. I've told you a million times, I don't want an Alpha! Not now, maybe not ever. Just _stop_.”

His mother fell silent, looking hurt, and it made Rin's throat tighten. He didn't like fighting with his mother, he knew she only wanted what was best for him and Gou, but... She just couldn't bring herself to accept that Rin wasn't looking for an Alpha. She thought it was just a phase he was going through and constantly tried to make him see things her way.

”It's getting late, I should get back,” Rin muttered, getting to his feet and kissing his mother's forehead. ”Sorry for yelling at you, Mom. Love you. Tell Gou I said hi.”

”It's alright, darling. I love you too. Stay safe.”

”I'll do my best.”

 _By beating the living daylight out of every damn Alpha that tries to pull anything on me,_ he added in his mind.

Maybe having such a deep-seated dislike for Alphas while wishing he was one didn't make much sense. Then again, neither did his mother's behavior- she wanted him to be a ”proper” Omega even though she has wished for an Alpha son. Rin often felt like he was stuck somewhere in between being an Omega and being an Alpha, not really fitting in either category.

And people still had the _nerve_ to wonder why he was so angry all the time.

 

* * *

 

”Yo.” Rin gave Nitori a nod of acknowledgement as he entered their room, shaking off his jacket. ”Anything interesting happen while I was gone?”

”Sugimoto-sensei wants to see you tomorrow before practice. Sounded important.”

”Alright.”

Being in the Omega swim team was one of the few things that made him genuinely happy. Rin had always loved swimming, and knowing there was something he excelled everyone else in made life a little more bearable.

At first people had not taken him seriously because he was in the Omega team. Then they had told him he was ”pretty good for an Omega.” Rin had absolutely detested it, but it had only made him that much more determined to prove them wrong. Now he was as good as the captain of the Alpha team- and sometimes he was better, which was something no one else could pull off. Not even the other members of the Alpha team, including Sousuke.

Rin knew Sousuke was mad at him for outdoing him, but he could live with that.

His goal was to swim competitively on an international level and show everyone what he was made of. He didn't want to just be the best Omega swimmer out there- he wanted to be the best of all, full stop. It was very likely that people would never stop understimating him because he was an Omega, but that just meant he'd have to keep proving them wrong.

”Sorry I yelled at you earlier. Bad day, you know. I still think you're wrong, though.”

”It's okay. I understand.”

”Do you, though?” Rin asked, raising his brow as he laid down on his bed. ”Don't take this the wrong way but I don't think you get it at all.”

”I understand that you're frustrated, but I'm not sure why,” Nitori admitted after a moment. ”It's just that... Rin-senpai, do you really find their attention so unpleasant? I know they can be a little obnoxious sometimes- or more than just a little- but it's only because they find you so... attractive. There are many Omegas who'd love to be you.”

”Including yourself?”

No answer.

”I take that as a yes. As for your question, yes, I think it's gross. They're thinking with their dicks and using their hormones as an excuse to be rude and disgusting. I don't want them anywhere near me.”

”Not at all? You really have no... interest in them? I mean- you- we- Omegas have their... needs too.”

Rin could practically hear Nitori blush and it made him laugh. ”You can use the word 'sex,' Nitori. It's fine. The things they say to me, and about me, are very graphic. Nothing shocks me anymore. Are you asking if I ever want to have sex with an Alpha?”

”Well... Yes.”

That was actually a good question, and something Rin thought about a lot.

”I really don't know. I mean, there are Alphas I find physically attractive but I'm not sure if I'd actually sleep with any of them. I don't like most Alphas and I don't trust any of them.”

The physical act of having sex wasn't the problem here. Rin was okay with that part, but he hated the thought of having to submit to an Alpha. He was too proud to even consider it. He didn't want to be anyone's ”good little bitch,” like some Alphas so eloquently put it- God, just hearing those words made him want to vomit. Unfortunately that was exactly what most Alphas were after.

”Don't you feel like you're missing out on something?”

Rin snorted a laugh. ”Missing out on _what_? Having sex with idiots like Nakayama? No thanks, I think I'm good.”

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out to discover there was one new message from Sousuke and hesitated for a moment before opening it; sometimes Sousuke's messages were friendly and casual, and sometimes they weren't. His moods were impossible to predict these days, and his mood swings were often worse than Rin's.

 

 

 

> _you heard the news yet?_
> 
> _**what news?** _
> 
> _we're getting a new member_
> 
> _**really? out of the blue like that?** _
> 
> _yeah. a transfer student._

 

Samezuka's swim teams were the best of the best, and neither team took new people in just like that unless they were something really special. Apparently this transfer student had managed to really impress someone.

Rin caught himself hoping the new guy would be the real deal. Getting someone new to compete with, someone who could actually give him a run for his money, didn't sound bad at all.

 

 

 

> _**good for you. still gonna beat your asses at the next competition** _
> 
> _we'll see about that_
> 
> _**guess we will** _

 

* * *

 

Rin got up early the next morning, slowly wandering down empty hallways as he made his way to the pool to meet up with the advisor of their swim team. Being able to walk through through the school when pretty much everyone was still asleep was actually pretty soothing- there was no catcalling, no wolf whistles, just him and his thoughts.

”Ah, Matsuoka-kun, I'm glad you're here,” Sugimoto said with a friendly smile, raising his hand and giving him a small wave. ”Good morning.”

”Good morning, Sugimoto-sensei,” Rin nodded. ”I was told you wanted to talk to me?”

”Yes, indeed. I received a very interesting piece of news about our next competition, and since your captain is out of the country right now he wanted you to be the one to go over it with the team. So, first of all...”

Rin tried his best to focus and listen as their advisor talked about the competition and how this new information would change their strategy, but something else quickly caught his attention. Mikoshiba, the captain of the Alpha team, was standing at the other end of the pool talking to someone Rin had never seen before- and he knew everyone in both teams, so it had to be the transfer student Sousuke had mentioned. He kept trying to catch a glimpse of the new guy without being too obvious, but unfortunately he wasn't very good at being subtle.

”I see you've noticed our new friend over there,” Sugimoto commented. ”Would you like me to introduce you to him?”

”Oh, no, I don't think that's necessary-”

”Nonsense. It's good to know your rivals. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, is that not what they say? Mikoshiba-kun, may I borrow your newest member for a moment, please?”

”Sure thing, sensei!”

The first thought that crossed Rin's mind when he saw the new Alpha for the first time was _Oh shit, he's hot._

Dark hair, blue eyes, flawless skin, expressionless face. About Rin's height. Giving off an aura of easy confidence. Clearly muscular and fit, as was to be expected from a swimmer. Very nice build. Very nice _everything_ , honestly.

Sure, there were certain Alphas that he found... aesthetically pleasing, but none of them had ever made his heart skip a beat like this one. Rin didn't really have a type, and he wasn't sure what it was about this one that pleased him so, but he was definitely attracted to him.

And _fuck_ , the guy smelled _amazing_.

Usually the scent of an Alpha was enough to put Rin off, mainly because of his deep dislike for Alphas, but this scent was different. It reminded him of the ocean, the salty smell of seawater mingling with the scent of the sand as the sun heated it up, and something else he couldn't put his finger on. It was... a really nice scent, and it almost made him forget what he was doing.

 _Get a grip,_ Rin told himself, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to physically shrug off the feeling. _Now's not the time to drool over some stupid Alpha._

”This is the new member of our Alpha team, Nanase Haruka. Nanase-kun, meet Matsuoka Rin, one of the best swimmers we have and the star of our Omega team.”

Haruka looked almost surprised for a moment when Sugimoto mentioned that Rin was an Omega. Rin stared him down, unblinking, fully expecting Haruka to say something about it, to make some sort of a clever comment about Rin not looking like an Omega or how an Omega couldn't possibly be _that_ good at sports.

He didn't.

”He has tied with many of your team members in almost every competition-”

”Or beat them,” Rin cut in.

”Yes, or that. Thank you for the input, Matsuoka-kun. So, as I was saying, he is a force to be reckoned with. You don't have to take my word for it, I'm sure you'll agree once you see his swimming.”

_I can't wait to see you in a swimsuit._

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Rin held his hand out for Haruka. ”Nice to meet you. I look forward to competing with you.”

Haruka nodded and shook his hand.

The touch almost made Rin jump- it felt like an electric current going through his body. It wasn't necessarily an unpleasant feeling but it definitely took him by surprise. He could swear he saw Haruka's eyes widen for a second, too, indicating he had felt it as well- whatever _it_ was.

What the hell was happening to him?

”Just so you know, I never lose,” he somehow managed to say, trying to maintain the illusion of him being in control of the situation despite feeling very much out of control.

”Neither do I.”

”I'll believe it when I see it.”

Rin breathed a sigh of relief as Haruka nodded and left, staring at the Alpha's back as he walked away.

He had no idea what was going on but he knew he needed a shower. A very cold shower.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to be working on my two other WIPs but I whipped this up instead. Whoops? 
> 
> Anyway, I'll try to update this thing weekly from now on!

The new student's name was on everyone's lips by noon.

Everybody wanted to know everything about him- who he was, where he was from, what he was like, why he had transferred to Samezuka, whether he was single, and so on. Rin acted like he didn't care but in all honesty he was pretty curious- just because he wanted to know what he was up against, naturally. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, know thy enemy, all that.

If the rumors were to be believed, Haruka's parents worked abroad so he was currently living alone. He had transferred to Samezuka because they obviously had the best swim teams and he was an excellent swimmer.

Rin had no idea where people were getting all this information. Haruka was rather quiet and kept to himself a lot. While that didn't stop people from flocking around him, it seemed very unlikely that Haruka had personally told them all that.

Why was he even thinking about what Haruka would or wouldn't do? That was stupid. _He_ was stupid.

Truth be told, Rin had been thinking about Haruka all morning and it was driving him mad. It was like an annoying tune he couldn't get out of his head, and being in his presence only made it worse. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it or focus on something else, he always ended up right back where he started, staring at the back of Haruka's head.

Needless to say, he wasn't really paying much attention to what the teacher was saying. His thoughts were centered either around Haruka or around how much it annoyed him that he couldn't stop thinking about Haruka.

Rin wanted to believe it was just his hormonal balance being out of whack. His Omega side probably wanted him to have interest in Alphas but he wasn't going to play that game. He wasn't going to do anything stupid and then blame it on his hormones or instincts like certain people would do. He refused to play that game; he was too good for it.

A part of him was kind of curious as to what would happen if he just gave in, just to see what would happen, but he wasn't going to actually do that. It was just an offhand thought.

Sitting in the classroom was making him feel claustrophobic so when it was time for lunch, Rin went outside and found a sunny spot to sit in. Summer was almost here and the air was lovely and warm, with just the slightest of breezes. He closed his eyes and sighed, relaxing his shoulders and trying to empty his mind.

 _You're just confused,_ he told himself. _You don't know where these feelings came from or what they are but they'll go away eventually. All you have to do is wait. Don't do anything stupid on a whim just because it feels like a good idea right now. It's probably not a good idea._

”Mind if I sit here?”

”Fucking hell, Sousuke, you scared the shit out of me!” Rin exclaimed, his eyes flying open. ”Don't sneak up on me like that, okay? That was not cool."

”I didn't know you were so lost in thought,” Sousuke shrugged as he sat down next to him. ”Sorry. I promise I wasn't trying to scare you. So, what's up?”

”Nothing much, really. Same old. People won't stop talking about the new guy and seem to know everything about him already. I don't know how they do that. It's kinda creepy.”

”So I heard. Did you meet him yet?”

Rin nodded. ”I did, yeah. I went to see Sugimoto-sensei before morning practice because he wanted to talk to me and Mikoshiba was talking to the new guy, so Sugimoto-sensei introduced us.”

”What do you think of him?”

”Dunno. Haven't seen him swim.”

”I meant as a person, Rin,” Sousuke sighed.

”So did I,” Rin retorted, rolling his eyes. ”I don't know. I don't care. We talked for like a minute and he said about three words to me, that's it. He's alright, I guess. At least he didn't make fun of me or try to hit on me, which is more than can be said about most Alphas here. I don't hate him.”

”Okay.”

They sat in silence for a while, Rin absent-mindedly playing with his hair as he looked up at the clouds. He felt like Sousuke was expecting him to say something, like he was expecting him to make some sort of confession, but Rin couldn't really figure out what it was.

”Are you sure nothing out of the ordinary happened, though?” Sousuke asked after a moment, looking at him from the corner of his eye. Rin tilted his head as he tried to figure out what was going on. What was this about?

”Umm, yes, I am. It's been a normal day. Nothing unusual. What's up with the third degree?”

”You smell different, that's all.”

”That's probably because I'm off my suppressants. I've been on them for so long that the doctor won't give me more until I take a break. Something about suppressants causing infertility if I'm on them for too long or whatever.” Rin made a face. ”As if I care.”

”No, it's not that. I know what you smell like when you're off them, this is different. It's... a different kind of different, if that makes sense.”

The fact that Sousuke paid so much attention to what he smelled like sort of bothered Rin, but he decided not to bring it up. He couldn't see that conversation going smoothly- then again, most of their conversations didn't go smoothly, anyway. ”Oh. Right. Well, I don't know what it is, then. Like I said, nothing's-”

”And what do you mean, you don't care?”

The way Sousuke interrupted him made Rin frown. He didn't really like Sousuke's tone, nor did he appreciate being questioned like this.

”What do _you_ mean?” he asked in response, even though _”I don't need to explain myself to you”_ was what he really wanted to say. ”I mean exactly what I just said: I don't care. I don't want kids, I'm not having kids, so I don't give a fuck about whether I'm infertile or not. A pretty simple concept, really.”

”That's what you say now. What if you change your mind later?”

”People have been telling me that for years. Every time I say I don't want kids someone tells me I'm gonna change my mind. I haven't. I don't believe I will.”

”But what if you do?” Sousuke kept insisting, much to Rin's annoyance.

”What of it? Why do _you_ care?”

”I'm just saying that you need to take care of yourself and your body, Rin. You're capable of having children. That's something a lot of people don't have. Don't throw it away like that."

”You sound just like my mother,” Rin said dryly and rolled his eyes. ”How about I decide what I want to do with my body and you decide what you want to do with yours, yeah? My potential children are my business, not yours or anyone else's.”

Sousuke sighed deeply. ”Don't be like that.”

”Be like what? You're the one who's saying that as an Omega I'm supposed to want to have kids, and that if I don't want them now I'm bound to change my mind. That all I'm good for is making babies so I should make sure I'll be able to do that. That's what you're getting at, isn't it?”

This was a very sensitive subject for Rin, to the point where he didn't really want to discuss it with anyone. Especially someone who felt like they were in a position to tell him what _he_ should do with _his_ life.

”That's not what I'm saying at all. Don't put words into my mouth. You know I'm only trying to look after you, Rin.”

”Don't.”

Rin's voice was dangerously low and his eyes were burning anger, wordlessly telling Sousuke to back off.

He hated it when Sousuke tried to patronize him and act like he was Rin's Alpha, as if that would somehow change his mind. If anything, it had the opposite effect. The more Sousuke tried to make him do something, the less Rin wanted to do it.

”I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life. I'm just saying,” Sousuke continued, ”that sometimes you're not thinking straight when it comes to these things, and-”

” _Don't touch me!”_

Sousuke's arm had tried to wrap around his shoulders but Rin immediately slapped it away, hard enough to catch Sousuke off-guard. He stared at Rin in shock, as though he could not believe that Rin had just done that.

It took everything in Rin to not slap him across the face.

”Don't you fucking touch me,” he hissed, trembling with barely controlled rage. ”I've told you a thousand times that you need to stop it with the Alpha crap. Stop treating me like I'm some stupid child that needs to be protected from himself, Sousuke! I don't need you to take care of me, I can take care of myself, and _I'm not yours to look after.”_

”Rin-”

”Shut. Up. I'm _this_ close to actually hurting you. Don't make me do it.”

He stood and stormed away without even looking at Sousuke.

 

* * *

 

The rest of his day was more or less terrible. If he had been having trouble concentrating on anything earlier, that was nothing compared to this. Eventually even his teacher gave up on trying to get him to pay attention and just let him be, which was a rare occasion.

Rin decided to go for a run after his classes, hoping that it would help him escape all the stress and the invasive thoughts that were bothering him today. Then again, sometimes being all alone with his own thoughts only made things worse, but it was worth a shot.

His conversation with Sousuke still was still hanging heavy on his mind. He didn't understand why Sousuke couldn't just... let it go already. How many times would Rin have to tell him he wasn't interested until he finally got the message?

Sometimes, even though he didn't like to admit it, he wondered if being friends with Sousuke was actually worth it anymore. He did care about Sousuke, if only as a friend, but they fought a lot these days and things were showing no signs of getting better. Maybe their friendship had just ran its course and it was time for them to move on.

Or maybe Sousuke just needed to get over himself and accept that Rin wasn't into him.

Honestly, the thing that bugged him the most about it was the way Sousuke kept hinting that this was Rin's fault, that he was the one doing something wrong here. He refused to feel guilty about something so ridiculous but Sousuke obviously thought he _should_ feel bad. What was he supposed to do? Lie to make Sousuke feel better? No thanks.

Breaking a sweat did actually make him feel better, much to his relief. When he got back, he spotted Haruka standing outside the main building.

_I should go talk to him._

He wasn't sure where that thought came from, but before Rin had time to properly analyze it he was already walking towards Haruka. It was too late to turn back now without it seeming off, so he decided to bite the bullet and just go with it.

”Hi there, new kid,” Rin grinned. ”Looks like you survived your first day. Congratulations. How was it? Good, bad, terrible?”

Haruka shrugged. ”Normal.”

Rin tilted his head. ”Just normal? Well, that's still better than terrible, I guess, so good for you. Sounds better than my first day, at least, so that's something.”

Silence. Small talk clearly wasn't Haruka's forte.

”How was your first day, then?”

The question took Rin by surprise. _Oh, so you_ _ **do**_ _know how to_ _speak in full sentences._

He chuckled, opening his ponytail and letting his hair fall free around his shoulders. ”Well, there was this third-year Alpha who kept following me around like a lost puppy. Telling me I was pretty, asking me to go out with him, all that shit. I told him I wasn't interested, he didn't listen. I told him to piss off and leave me alone, he didn't listen. He tried to feel me up, I fucked up his wrist. Fractured it in two places.”

”Seriously?” Haruka sounded almost impressed.

Rin grinned and nodded, running a hand through his hair. ”Yeah. Seriously. Adachi from class 3-1. Ask anyone what happened and they'll confirm it- except for the guy himself, of course. He'd never admit that an Omega did that to him,” Rin said with a wry smile. ”He's embarrassed.”

Much to Rin's surprise, Haruka smiled. It was a small smile, only there for a second, but it was a smile all the time. For some reason it made him feel like he had just accomplished something, though he wasn't sure what that something was.

”Anyway, that happened and now I have a reputation as someone you shouldn't mess with. I gotta admit that it's true, and Adachi isn't the first guy whose ass I've kicked, so I suggest you keep your hands to yourself.”

”I was planning to.”

”Good. I'd rather not break your wrist before I've even had the chance to see you swim."

For some reason that answer made him feel almost disappointed. _You could've at least said ”I'll try” or something, just to flatter me. Not that I want to be flattered by you. Or anyone. But it would've been polite. Kind of._

”Anyway, it's not the only thing people say about me but I'm sure they'll let you in on all the gossip soon enough. Especially now that they've seen you talking to me,” Rin went on, gesturing to a group of students sneaking glances at them. ”They're probably gonna tell you that you should stay away from me because I'm too aggressive or whatever.”

Haruka shrugged, his face impossible to read. ”I don't care about gossip. I make my own decisions.”

”That's what they all say,” Rin grinned, showing off his pointed teeth while keeping his tone light and playful. ”Anyway, I know it's only your first day and all, but how do you like your new team?”

”It's good.”

”Just good?” he asked, his voice laced with thinly veiled amusement. Haruka shrugged again. ”So, no one's giving you a hard time or anything?”

”Not really.”

”Good. They do that to new guys sometimes. I guess it's an Alpha thing or something.”

Sousuke in particular was in the habit of getting into pissing contests with new members over just about anything to establish some sort of pecking order. It was exactly the kind of Alpha behavior Rin hated. They just made themselves look ridiculous by trying to prove that they were the biggest, baddest Alpha around. As if that mattered.

”So, I heard you live alone? That's pretty cool.”

”I guess.”

”I wish I could do that. I mean, living in the dorm isn't bad either- at least my mom's not constantly fussing over me- but still. It'd be nice to have more privacy. You don't get much of that here.”

They chatted for a good fifteen minutes more, with Rin doing most of the talking and Haruka doing most of the listening. That didn't really bother Rin too much, though- Haruka didn't seem bored or uncomfortable, and Rin actually enjoyed talking to him.

That was a miracle in and of itself because Rin usually didn't like talking to Alphas.

”I have to go,” Haruka said, glancing at his watch and throwing his messenger back over his shoulder. ”I don't know what people say about you, but you don't seem too bad to me.”

”That's because you weren't being an asshole either,” Rin shrugged. ”I behave myself if the other person can return the favor, and you did. You're alright.”

Haruka nodded.

”See you around.”

”See you.”

 

* * *

 

”What's wrong, Rin-senpai?” Nitori asked, putting down his book and glancing at Rin over his shoulder. ”You've been really quiet. It's not like you.”

”Nothing's wrong,” Rin grumbled, hugging his pillow to his chest. ”I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all. It's been a long day.”

Why the fuck couldn't he stop thinking about Haruka?

None of this made any damn sense. The guy wasn't even his type, he was so quiet that trying to have a conversation with him was challenging, and Rin didn't crush on people easily- and yet something made Rin want to be around Haruka. He had never felt this way about an Alpha before and it was stressing him out.

He didn't want to like Haruka, he was actively trying to not like him, but something about him just made Rin feel... good. He couldn't really explain it- he just felt calm, and at peace, and like he could be himself without being judged. Like Haruka saw him in a different light than everybody else around him.

He didn't understand what was going on and why it was happening, and he hated feeling like he wasn't in control of himself.

 _You can't trust Alphas,_ Rin reminded himself. _No matter how nice they seem. At the end of the day they're all the same. They only care about one thing, and sooner or later they'll reveal their true colors. You're better off alone._

 _ **Aren't you generalizing just a bit?**_ asked another voice in his head ** _. You hate it when Alphas assume that all Omegas are the same, but you're doing the exact same thing here. You're not like other Omegas- what if he isn't like other Alphas? Have you even considered that?_**

That wasn't the same thing. He had never met an Alpha he liked. All Alphas were awful-

 _ **Your father was an Alpha,**_ the same voice pointed out ** _. Was he awful? Did he ever treat your mother wrong? Did you ever witness him being disrespectful to anyone?_**

”Shut up,” Rin whispered under his breath.

”Did you say something?”

”No. I'm just talking to myself. Thinking out loud. Something like that.”

Nitori seemed to accept the answer and continued doing his homework, much to Rin's relief. He didn't really feel like talking about what was bothering him since he couldn't make sense of it himself. Explaining it to someone else would have been impossible.

And besides, he didn't want anyone else to learn about the inner turmoil he was currently experiencing. Knowing Nitori, the other Omega would just tell him that he was in love with Haruka or that they were soulmates or something equally ridiculous that would not make Rin feel any better about any of this.

Soulmates... It was an old wives' tale, Rin's grandmother had told him about it once. It was said that sometimes two people who were meant to be together were born, and that neither of them would fall in love until their paths crossed. When Rin had asked her how you were supposed to know if you had met your soulmate, she had smiled and said, ”You'll know them when you see them. The first time you touch them, or even see them, you'll just know.”

Rin couldn't help but think about the electric feeling that had gone through him the moment Haruka first touched his hand.

_What if-_

No. Why was he thinking about this _now_? There was no way they were soulmates. That was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Soulmates didn't even exist, it was just a rumor that got passed down from generation to generation. This was nothing more than just a silly crush and he was blowing it out of proportion because his hormones were fucking him up or something. That was the only rational explanation.

He really needed to get over this, whatever _this_ was, and move on.

”I heard you talked to the transfer student.”

Rin could barely resist the urge to roll his eyes. He should have seen this coming. ”Sounds like news travels fast. Yeah, I did talk to him. I met him this morning, and then I walked into him after my jog and asked him how his first day went.”

”Really?” Nitori asked, not trying to hide the look of surprise on his face. ”You don't usually talk to Alphas unless you have to.”

”There's an exception to every rule, Nitori. I was just trying to be nice. You're the one who keeps telling me that I shouldn't judge people before I get to know them or whatever.”

”So, what was he like?”

”Normal, I guess,” Rin shrugged. ”Nice for an Alpha. Wasn't rude to me, didn't make fun of me being an Omega and didn't try to hit on me. I appreciated it. He's pretty cool.”

Nitori looked at him like he'd just seen a ghost, making Rin sigh in annoyance. ”Don't look at me like that, it's freaking me out. What is it?”

”Nothing. It's just that... I don't think I've ever heard you call an Alpha 'nice.' Not even once. I'm surprised, that's all,” Nitori explained.

”You're exaggerating,” Rin huffed. ”I'm not that bad. I don't hate every Alpha, I just hate most of them. And even if that's true- well, most of them aren't nice. That's just a fact. I'm not in the habit of handing out empty compliments.”

The knowing smile Nitori gave him made Rin want to punch something. He hated it when people looked at him like they knew something he didn't.

”I guess he must be something special if he made such an impression on you, Rin-senpai.”

”He didn't _impress_ me. I just don't think that he sucks, that's all.”

Rin hated hearing how defensive his own voice sounded.

”I don't mean to be rude, senpai, but those two are often the same thing when it comes to you.”

He had to admit that Nitori was right. He didn't think very highly of Alphas, so he _was_ sort of impressed whenever he met an Alpha he didn't hate. That didn't happen too often even though the bar wasn't set very high.

”Whatever,” he murmured, waving his hand dismissively. ”I've only just met him, it's way too early to tell if he's an asshole or not. I'm not gonna make up my mind about him until I've seen him swim.”

”What do you mean by that?” Nitori asked curiously.

”I'm planning to ask him to race me to see what I'm dealing with. If he lets me win, he's just like the rest of them.”

”And if he passes that test?”

”Then he's alright, I guess.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you notice any canon divergences (aside from the obvious ones), just pretend they're there for a reason because this is set in an alternative universe. I'm terrible with details sometimes. I'm also not a native English speaker so do forgive me if there are any errors. Thank you <3


End file.
